But when I see whites disproportionately represented as "lean-bodied, smart, sexy, heterosexual, 18-35" and the disproportionate representation of non-whites OUT of this "breeding circle"...yeah, I take offense.

-Marty, that would be true IF the distribution of black characters is roughly proportional to their statistical presence in the population OR if, when black characters are present, they are sexual and lean-bodied at the approximate rate their white counterparts are.

I HAVE said that I've never met a white, straight, lean-bodied, Christian middle-class male with much of a clue about prejudice, but change any one of these parameters and they grasp the problem much more rapidly.

White straight lean-bodied males will have much more difficulty believing--not because of any innate perceptual flaws, but because when you are on the winning team, you tend not to question the referee's calls.

In combination with the excellent poll numbers on Barack Obama, and the existence of Oprah, and Will Smith who has charted his career more intelligently than almost any other performer I can think of, and what the hell, a lean-bodied black male winning on Survivor, I feel that there is a gate opening.